'Green Mile' Star Duncan Dead at 54

Michael Clarke Duncan, star of such movies as “The Green Mile” and “The Whole Nine Yards,” passed away this morning. He was 54.

According to our sources, his passing came very suddenly. We’re told his fiancee, Omarosa Manigault, was with him in his hospital room in Los Angeles and left for a short period of time. When she returned … he had died.

On a personal note, I met Duncan during a press junket for the film “Daredevil” back in 2003. Duncan played Kingpin, the larger than life villain out to smite our costume-clad hero (Ben Affleck).

Movie junkets can be superficial affairs, events where actors are on their best behavior and journalists do all they can to squeeze some juicy gossip out of the assembled stars.

Duncan was the proverbial gentle giant during his time with my fellow reporters. His deep, rumbling voice didn’t fit the quiet persona he exuded, and he frequently paid tribute to his mother during the press exchange.